The Abyss Also Gazes
by Exxal
Summary: Rin finally gets his chance to defeat Satan, but nothing turns out as planned.
1. Chapter 1

I do apologize for the wait. Enjoy~!

The Abyss Also Gazes

"Brother, can't I play with him just a little more?"

Mephisto turned to glare at Amaimon, who was hunched beside him chewing on one of his long, sharp fingernails. Amaimon's deep green eyes were focused on their youngest brother, Rin, who was in the yard with his friends. Rin seemed to be having a great time and was completely oblivious to their spying.

"No. If you play with him too much, you'll break him," Mephisto said harshly. "Father has plans for the boy, yet."

Like usual, Amaimon wasn't listening. Mephisto rolled his eyes and glanced down at Rin as well. He'd never expected the half-demon to regain the trust of his fellow students after being exposed as Satan's son, nor had he expected Rin to have the courage to face his flames and master them. Mephisto was beginning to doubt that father would be able to manipulate Rin the way he wanted.

Mephisto's lips curled into a smile. Maybe it was time for the plans to change. "On second thought," he said. "I think I'll let you play with him after all."

The only sign Amaimon heard was a sharp _crack_ as his teeth bit through the nail.

xxx

It had been five and half months since Rin had shown his flames, and he never thought he'd see his friends look at him with anything other than hatred and distrust again. They had been so angry that it hurt to remember, but Rin refused to lose them. They were the only friends he'd ever had; he couldn't bear to be alone again. So, though a great deal of effort and personal risk, he'd finally proved to them that he was still the same harmless goofball they'd known and loved (or, at least, _liked_).

Rin felt his heart swell in his chest as he laughed with them. He knew he should be practicing with his flames, or working with his sword, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. Shura would be around any moment to drag him off to training, anyway, since she seemed to have made it her job to make sure he passed his exorcist exam. Thanks to that damn court of exorcists, he would take his exam only six months after he'd shown his flames. It was so unfair.

Still, even though he'd only had six months to prepare, Rin was feeling pretty confident. Shura had taught him so much about his flames and his demon sword, Kurikara, that he thought his head might explode, and Yukio, unsympathetic brother that he was, always made sure Rin was studying, never letting him have a moment of peace.

"Brother!"

Speaking of Yukio...

Rin sighed and looked up at Yukio, who was standing over him with his arms crossed. He knew that stern look well; Yukio was annoyed at him for lounging around when he only had a few more weeks until his exorcism exam.

"How can you possibly be lounging around when you only have a few more weeks until your exorcism exam?"

Called it.

"I can't study all the time, four-eyes," Rin protested. Yukio's glasses flashed.

"Now is not the time to be getting lazy; did you forget that if you fail to pass you'll be executed?"

Yukio's words effectively killed the mood. Suddenly, Bon, Shiemi, Konekomaru, Shima, and even Izumo were looking somber and uneasy. Rin sighed and got to his feet.

"Fine, I'll study some more. Sheesh."

The tension lifted, but before Rin could take more than a few steps towards the training building, he sensed something about to attack him. He quickly dodged to the side, instantly reaching to protect his sword. It wasn't a second too soon, for a familiar blur of green went rushing past, its grabby hand centimeters away from snatching the Kurikara.

Amaimon!

Flashbacks of their last battle raced through Rin's mind, filling him with fear. Amaimon was too much for his friends to handle; Yukio had to get them out of here, and fast!

Yukio must have read his mind. "Esquires, hurry and get inside the dorms!" The others hesitated, but when they saw Rin unsheathe his sword, letting the blue flames flood through him, they obeyed. Yukio made sure they were safely out of the way before he ran back and stood at his brother's side.

Amaimon paused, staring pensively from the barrels of Yukio's guns to the sharp edge of Rin's fiery sword. He hadn't bargained for two-against-one. This was going to be even more fun than he'd imagined!

"Greetings, little brother," Amaimon said, ignoring Yukio for the time being. "I see you're learned to play 'keep away' much better than last time."

"That's not all I've learned!" Rin snarled. He rushed forward, fangs bared. Yukio cursed his brother's impetuousness as he hurried to back Rin up. Patience was one of the few lessons that he and Shura had been unable to pound into his brother's thick head.

Rin roared as he slashed at Amaimon. When they had last fought, he had been clumsy wielding his sword, lacking skill and training; now, Amaimon's eyes widened as he barely managed to avoid the lightning-fast strikes. Amaimon grinned wildly when the sword clipped his ribcage, and laughed out loud when Rin stabbed him through the shoulder.

"This is so great!" Amaimon exclaimed. He seized Rin's sword and yanked it out of his body just in time to dodge the rain of bullets Yukio shot at him. Amaimon kept on laughing as he retreated across the campus. This was too fun! He hadn't been in a fight like this in centuries!

It took Amaimon almost ten minutes to remember the little key in his pocket. He knew big brother would be disappointed if he didn't carry out his orders, so he pouted and put on a burst of speed. Taking the key out of his pocket, Amaimon skipped over to a door, put the key into the lock, then he turned it and waited for Rin to charge at him. It didn't take long. At the last second, Amaimon nimbly slipped out of the way and opened the door. Rin's eyes widened at the terrifying sight before him, but it was too late to stop.

He fell through the open doorway.


	2. Chapter 2

Painfully short. I promise I'll post a more respectable update next time.

The Abyss Also Gazes

Yukio panted for breath as he chased after his brother and Amaimon. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was some kind of trap, and he could only hope that Rin had guessed the same. Though, knowing his brother, he hadn't.

At last, Yukio managed to catch up. Amaimon was just standing there, like he was waiting for Rin to attack. But why would he do that?

A cold pit formed in Yukio's stomach. Something was wrong.

Yukio tried to call to his brother, but his throat tightened with fear and he couldn't make a sound. He watched helplessly as Rin raced at Amaimon, sword raised.

For a moment, it seemed that Rin would actually succeed in destroying the demon once and for all, but then Amaimon stepped out of the way, opening the door that had been behind him. The aura that washed over Yukio stole the air from his lungs and sent goosebumps over his skin. Beyond that door was...

Yukio found his voice at last. "Brother!" he yelled, but it was too late. Rin yelped in shock, then Amaimon slammed the door shut and took a small silvery key from the lock. He saw Yukio racing towards him and jumped gracefully out of the way, perching on top of an archway to watch what would happen next.

_I can still save him,_ Yukio thought desperately, reaching the door, grabbing the knob in a death-grip. _It only happened a few moments ago. I'll open the door and Rin will be there, waiting on the other side. He will be...he has to be!_

But when Yukio threw open the door, there was nothing but an empty hallway. No Rin. He slammed the door shut and the tried again. And again.

xxx

Amaimon cocked his head as he watched the human. He didn't understand what it was doing; it knew that younger brother was gone, so why did it keep trying?

Suddenly, the human stopped and turned to him. Amaimon was surprised at the raw emotion in the human's eyes.

"What did you do to him?"

Amaimon scratched his head and sighed. There was really no need to stick around anymore, he supposed. Humans, even exorcists, were so stupid and boring; they were absolutely no fun to play with. "I sent him home," he replied simply.

As Yukio's face twisted in horror, Amaimon turned and effortlessly made his escape.

xxx

Home.

Home to Gehenna.

Yukio involuntarily fell to his knees in front of the door. It made sense now. That aura...the feeling of dread...the nothingness beyond the door. Rin was trapped in Gehenna. He was trapped with demons too strong for any exorcist to take on alone. He was trapped with _Satan._

After a moment of despair, Yukio's eyes hardened with determination and he pushed himself to his feet. He would save Rin. It didn't matter that no exorcist had ever managed to make it to Gehenna and return alive; he didn't give a damn that what he was planning was suicidal and, to be honest, impossible. He would get his brother back if it was the last thing he did.


	3. Chapter 3

I hate writing filler! It's just so boring, which is why this chapter is so very late, and so .

Enjoy~!

Chapter Three

_Where...am I?_

Rin looked around at the ghastly place Amaimon had sent him. Everything was dusty and dead, and there were no grass or trees; just mounds and mounds of dirt the color of dried blood. The air smelled like blood, too. It was a hot, putrid smell, like fluids from roadkill that had bloated and split in the summer sun.

The blue flames still blazing around Rin's body looked terribly out of place, but he couldn't bring himself to sheath his sword. Though it seemed deserted, he got the feeling that wherever he was was dangerous. Yet strangely, in spite of the disgusting smell and the swelteringly hot temperature, he felt pretty comfortable here.

"Welcome, young prince!" said a cackling, high-pitched voice.

Rin looked down and saw a little lizard near his feet. It had a human face and, when it saw him staring, it grinned broadly, revealing needle-sharp teeth.

"A demon, huh?" Rin said, crouching down. "I suppose I should kill you, but you're kinda puny."

"Young prince!" the little demon cackled again. "Young prince! Welcome!"

"Would you shut up already?" Rin growled. "I'm not your prince!"

"Young prince! Young prince, young prince!"

"Get out of here, you!" Rin snapped, standing tall and pointing at it with his sword. The little lizard-demon scuttled away, laughing. It was almost a full minute before its voice faded to silence.

Now that Rin was alone again, he sighed and let the tip of his sword fall on the ground. He hoped Yukio was okay, and that he had somehow managed to get rid of Amaimon without him.

"Dammit," Rin cursed, clenching his fists. He hated not being able to help. What if someone got hurt while he was stuck here?

Rin's fists slowly unclenched, his anger fading into helplessness. "Dammit..." he whispered. His tail fell dejectedly to the ground, and his throat was getting tight. He wanted to be there; he wanted to keep them safe. Just the thought of one of them being hurt, or even...

No, he couldn't think about that. Rin shook his head and hooked on a forced grin. "I guess I shouldn't worry so much," he said to himself. "And besides, Yukio'll be mad if I'm gone too long, so I'd better find my way home."

Rin looked around, trying to find some clue as to which direction he should walk, but everything looked the same. At last, he decided to go straight ahead.

But it didn't matter which direction he went, or even if he just stayed right where he was. He wouldn't escape the nightmare that was waiting for him.

xxx

"What?"

Yukio saw shock and horror on the faces of all the esquires. "Amaimon has trapped Rin in Gehenna," he repeated. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

But he wasn't going to get away that easily.

"Yuki, wait!" Shiemi said. "Isn't there a way to save Rin?"

Yukio couldn't bear to tell her the truth: that no exorcist alive save for his father, Shiro Fujimoto, had ever managed to make it to Gehenna. "I've got it under control," he assured her. He tried to walk away, but Bon stopped him.

"Let me come with you." After the initial shock, he had become serious and calm. The other esquires nodded and looked at Yukio eagerly.

"No. It's too dangerous."

Bon's eyebrows snapped forward in anger. "I don't care! He's my friend."

Yukio hesitated. If he managed to make it to Gehenna, he would need their help, and even then, there was a good chance they would all die. He decided to take that chance.

"Fine," he said. "But we'll have to move quickly. Whichever of you would like to help, follow me. The rest of you, please return to the dorm and stay inside in case Amaimon returns."

Without bothering to see who was staying and who wasn't, Yukio headed off at a brisk pace towards the headmaster's office. When he arrived, he knocked and then walked in. Mephistopheles blinked at him.

"Professor Okumura, how nice of you to wait for me to call you in."

"I apologize, sir, but it's an emergency." Yukio stopped in front of the desk. "Rin has been trapped in Gehenna."

Mephisto's eyes widened for a moment, then went back to normal. "How very unfortunate," he said casually. "I take it you wish to get him back?"

"Yes, sir."

"_All_ of you?"

Yukio glanced back, and was surprised to see the whole class of esquires standing behind him. Bon, Shiemi, Shima, Konekomaru, Izumo, and even Takara. He had thought for sure that Konekomaru, Izumo, and Takara at least would stay behind; Konekomaru was still scared of his brother, Izumo typically chose self-preservation over friendship, and he didn't think that Takara and Rin had spoken to each other even once.

But they all nodded. Yukio turned back to face Mephisto and saw the demon looking thoughtful, then he sighed.

"In that case...I absolutely cannot allow it!"

Yukio was taken aback. He tried to think of a respectful way to approach the situation, but Bon got to it first.

"Why the hell not?"

Mephisto shrugged apologetically. "It wouldn't be responsible of me to let this academy's entire class of esquires go wandering about in Gehenna; just think how the Vatican would react!"

Yukio started to speak, but was once again interrupted.

"You can't just expect us to sit here!" Bon exploded.

"Certainly not," Mephisto replied. "Professor Okumura can choose a small team of you to accompany him. Satan's son is rather important to the Vatican, so I believe that would be an acceptable loss."

He assumed they would fail. Yukio spoke up quickly, before Bon had the chance. "That would be fine, sir," he said. "Though that still leaves the matter of getting to Gehenna."

Mephisto raised an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose I could assist you," he replied, then he reached into his pocket and took out a little silver key. Yukio drew in a sharp breath.

"That key..."

"It may look familiar," Mephisto conceded. "The demon Amaimon stole it from my office earlier today. With much effort, I managed to retrieve it, though regretfully I was unable to capture the demon himself. It is called the Infinity Key, and it can open a door to anywhere. Even to Gehenna. "

"Tch! So this is your fault!" Bon growled. Mephisto fixed him with a sour look.

"Bon..." Konekomaru said softly, grabbing his friend's arm. Bon 'tched' again, but looked away.

Yukio reached out and took the key, giving a slight bow. "Thank you, sir," he said, then he quickly ushered the esquires from the room, closing the door behind them.

Once Mephisto was alone, he allowed himself a grin. This was too easy.

"Why would you give them the infinity key right after I sent younger brother home?"

Mephisto's grin faded and his eyebrow twitched as he looked over to see Amaimon perched on his bookshelf, head cocked to the side, blue eyes wide and blank. Why did he always show up to eavesdrop at the worst of times?

"I have my reasons," Mephisto told him sternly. Amaimon shrugged and jumped off the bookshelf and onto a nearby armchair to pick at a bowl of sweets. The younger demon seemed enthralled by mortal food, and Mephisto couldn't blame him. Though, personally, he preferred hot meals like ramen to the various snacks that Amaimon adored. "And haven't I told you not to come to my office anymore? If you were caught here–"

"I was bored," Amaimon interrupted, unwrapping a sucker and popping it into his mouth.

Mephisto felt his patience waning. "Why don't you go play with Behemoth?"

Amaimon didn't reply, and Mephisto remembered a moment later that Behemoth had been slain by the exorcists. He frowned, wondering if he should apologize. At last, he decided that was a human reaction, and dismissed it in favor of silence. Amaimon had kept that Ghoul for centuries, but demons didn't care for things the way humans did.

Which was why Mephisto had no qualms about using the exorcists who trusted him as pawns. It was also why he could use Amaimon as he did, knowing that his little brother may be destroyed; why he could plot to kill his own father, Satan, just so he could inherit Gehenna.

Mephisto smiled. It wasn't even like he wanted Gehenna for any definite reason; he just didn't like how his father was running things. Too many weak demons were allowed to live, and they caused unnecessary trouble. And too many higher-level demons were roaming Assiah; Gehenna was practically empty, which was tipping to balance in a way that promised to make life very difficult for everyone.

If things stayed as they were, both Assiah and Gehenna would collapse. Mephisto couldn't have cared less about Gehenna, but Assiah was wonderful. He loved to play with the little humans, and everything was so _nice_ here. Nice food, nice clothing, nice scenery...he wasn't about to let that all go to waste for his father's selfishness.

Mephisto sat back in his chair with a sigh. Shiro had known about his plan all along; he was the only exorcist that had. What a foolish man he had been to call Mephisto a friend.

Yet, in a way, Shiro had been Mephisto's friend, too. A friend was someone who gave assistance, after all, and Shiro had certainly assisted him by raising Rin. He needed something with Satan's flames to take Satan down, and Rin was perfect. But, of course, Shiro hadn't been able to raise the boy into a weapon, and now Mephisto had to enact his plan with a gawky, short-tempered teenager who stubbornly clung to his human upbringing in spite of his demonic heritage and instincts. It was a poor substitute, but it would have to do.

Now, Mephisto was relying on his father wanting to keep Rin alive for the plan to succeed. If Satan didn't want to kill the boy, he would have a chance. If not, then Mephisto would have to find another way.

If worst came to worst, Mephisto would fight Satan himself. He wasn't as powerful, but he was much more clever, and perhaps that would be enough. Still, he would prefer not to get his hands dirty. No, it was definitely best to let Rin do all the work.

A tearing sound drew Mephisto out of his thoughts, and he frowned as he watched Amaimon rip his claws into the armchair, making the stuffing puff out. Perhaps Amaimon _was_ lonely; he had certainly not been this destructive before.

_Maybe if Rin comes back alive,_ he thought, _I'll give him to Amaimon as a new pet._


End file.
